


(this is a story about him and her)

by pepperedfox



Category: Kagerou Project
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-14
Updated: 2013-10-14
Packaged: 2017-12-29 09:38:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1003840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pepperedfox/pseuds/pepperedfox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He wasn’t supposed to exist. Ene's journey through endless doomed timelines and what she saw.</p>
            </blockquote>





	(this is a story about him and her)

I saw you in my dream. You were smiling and I was afraid.

Haruka, please wake up.

—

"Right, let’s go home." With his eyes half-lidded, Haruka yawned and stretched. Shintaro was already out the door, Ayano tottering after him. Takane watched that red scarf flutter in the summer heat and tugged at her shirt’s collar. Just looking at the girl made her sweat. How could she stand to wear that?

"Takane!" Haruka’s voice cut through the noise of her headphones. She jumped.

"—I’m right next to you! Don’t shout!" To her annoyance, her voice squeaked. Sheepish, Haruka tilted his head in apology.

"I didn’t mean to scare you."

"Y-You didn’t scare me at all!" Furious, she turned away to hide her embarrassing face. The setting sun’s glare hurt to look at, but she refused to turn away. She could hear Haruka shuffling beside her, catching sight of his smile from the corner of her eyes.

"Ah, sorry," he said. "You really were surprised weren’t you—"

"I told you, I’m fine, aren’t I—?!"

In the glow of red and yellow, Haruka’s face shone. Somewhere, cicadas were singing.

"Hey, Takane…"

—

Again.

—

"Right, let’s go home." With his eyes half-lidded, Shintaro yawned and stretched. Kido was already out the door, Mary tottering after her. Ene watched those fluffy white locks sway in the mountain air and pressed her hand against the camera lens. Konoha was a hazy figure in the distance, standing at the cliff’s edge.

"Ene." Shintaro’s voice cut through her muddled thoughts. She jumped.

"—ah? What’s Master calling me for? It better be something important!" Playful, she turned to face him. His face was beaded with sweat, devoid of his usual disgusting expression. She could hear Konoha saying something, but couldn’t make out what it was.

"Ah, sorry," he said. "You looked pretty deep in thought—"

"I can’t hear Master. Speak up, that muttering of yours is just as gross as your sweat."

Under the shade of his hand, Shintaro’s face was drawn out, pale. In the distance, she could hear Mary shouting. The NEET’s eyes raised, widened.

"Konoha, what…"

—

And again.

—

"Right, welcome home." With his eyes glowing gold, Konoha yawned and stretched. Seto was half-out the door, Momo’s body beside him. Ene watched that familiar face twist into a sneer and pressed her hand against the phone’s screen. Those bloody fingers smearing the phone couldn’t belong to him. That voice this monster’s using… it was unforgivable.

"Takane." Konoha’s— Haruka’s voice rang loudly in her ears. She froze.

"—Haruka, I…" She swallowed, mouth dry. Amused, Konoha tilted his head to examine her. There was recognition in those eyes now, but it was cold and cutting. She couldn’t meet them. She didn’t want to see that smile.

"What’s with that look?" he asked. "Aren’t you glad I remember you?"

"Hey, who— who do you think you are? Why did you choose that face, did you think you could get away with that?! Hey—!"

Under the glare of the fluorescent lights, the monster bared his teeth and grinned. She could hear his breathing, heavy and fast.

"Don’t be like that, Takane—"

—

And again and again.

"Oh, your face is red like the sun!"

And a hundred times and more, until all his words blurred into a confusing din in her head.

"Master—!"

Until her voice was silenced by a snapped windpipe bent back and straightened so many times that it hurt to touch her neck.

"Isn’t this a romantic date?"

Until she faded so many times that she felt like a ghost drifting on feetless legs.

"Good morning! Good luck, Takane! But I’m not leaving? I want to stay with you…"

There was a break in the loop, an anomaly that shouldn’t have been there that spread like a cancer. She would see his face once, and only once before his death. That’d been the price of her immortality. But no matter where and _when_ she ran, he waited there for her with blank pink eyes and white hair.

"Ene…"

Crisscrossing through her were the infinite lines of infinite networks, like an eternal tree of blood vessels. If she closed her eyes and let the headphones that served as her ears do her work, she could dive into past recordings. And in every electronic heart she plunged into, she found him.

The moron.

She couldn’t leave him alone, even when he was dead.

—

"—aaah, I’m sorry!" Haruka cringed at her glare, shrinking away and hiding like some frightened rabbit. Takane adjusted her backpack and huffed.

"You wouldn’t have to apologize so much if you toughed yourself up."

"Is that so…? Heh, I don’t think it’s possible for me…"

Takane glanced his way. “Really? Why?”

Haruka smiled. “I can’t be mean to someone I like.”


End file.
